UPDATE:

Hey ARThive fans! I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on with us, right? After hosting a mild celebration recently to acknowledge our 2nd birthday, the ARThive team are now taking a short time-out from regular programming. After two years in the running-an-art-space game, and all of the glorious ups-and-downs along the way, it has been an unreal journey so far. We've achieved almost everything we initially set out to do and then a little bit more, seriously who would have thought we'd still be here? With the increasing pressures of our own day jobs, study commitments, and art practices we're very excited about shifting gears and doing things a little differently from now on. Don't panic though kittens! We're not quite burning out just yet, this is about ensuring the sustainability of the project into the future! Learning from our mistakes rather than repeating them. We will be open again very soon with some slight adjustments to the format, super fresh ideas, and heck maybe even a new coat of paint, so stay tuned true believers!

Eddie’s dad was an artist.Eddie began creating at the age of three.His drawings were used in the school paper when he was six years old.His last name is Botha.

Teasing the Taught opened at Arthive on the 24th of June. The exhibition has been extended and is showing for an entire month. It is a must see show.

As well as creating visual masterpieces, the multi skilled South African can build cool stuff, take pretty photographs, design innovative spaces, care for plants and construct extra partition/gallery walls made entirely out of pieces of trashy timber. Which is exactly what he managed for Teasing the Taught. And fill the entire space, he did!

The amount of work in Arthive right now is astounding. When I queried Eddie on how long this work took him to create I almost burst out laughing in disbelief when he casually replied with, “Umm, under a month.” (My status as a sloth artist just increased ten fold.)

On close inspection, I realised each work is actually documented with the exact date and time Eddie created it; another one of his many quirks. Eddie enjoys making subtle social comments on the pricing, commercialisation and marketing of an artwork by putting absurd prices on his creations, such as 99c and $89,999.99. Or buy one for $59.99, or buy two for $58.99.

Eddie’s work is symbolic. He wants people to look to nature and loved ones rather than technology and money. Eddie deals lightly with heavy issues. He finds the humour in hateful and the silly in sombre. Issues such as war, politics, cultural diversity, religion, sexuality and relationships are expressed visually with a five-armed, wide-eyed fictional robot flailing himself towards you, while an overweight Caucasian woman with huge breasts suns herself like a lizard on a beach. All the while, Eddie’s perspectives are causing you to continue examining the work until you finally figure it out…there are three different perspectives within the one picture! Whoa, what a visual feast these little beauties are.

Eddie’s wife, Jennifer is a huge positive influence in his life. The two of them work together: travelling, photographing, marketing, observing and creating.

Eddie’s motivation is truly inspiring. His work is unique, humorous, intriguing and conceptually relevant. After Teasing the Taught, my admiration for Eddie’s work doubled. These strange figurative landscapes have left a some-what addictive need to see more and more.

We opened our doors 2 years ago and despite not really knowing what we're doing we're still active and open and 100% run by artists and volunteers. We've had 28 Exhibitions and countless other events so far and there's going to be lots more great things to come in the future. We think that's pretty impressive, so we're throwing this little party to pat ourselves on the back, why don't you come and have a piece of cake and some fizzy drink with us? Also, It's one of your last chances to see our EDDIE BOTHA exhibition, so it will be nice to see off what's bound to be a super good art show from one of Newcastle's most underrated artists.

LIVE MUSIC BY

TAILINGS
(feat. Jason Campbell from Stiched Vision, Kerry Robinson from Eucalypt)
+THE MERMAIDS
(feat. Mikey Beestings from Cock Safari, Nick French from Polyfox & The Union Of The Most Ghosts)

There will also be heaps of cool stuff happening outside in Morgan Street thanks to RENEW NEWCASTLE, STREET ART WALKING, ODDITORIUM, and MAKE SPACE. Click here for details on the Winter Wander walking tour.